1976 F150
460 with automatic transmission
2wd


Okay, all you Ford fans I have a dilemma.

Pulled into the parking lot at work the other day got out of the truck and noticed a steady stream of coolant coming out from under the front end. Popped the hood and remembered my radiator cap was loose and thought I had solved my problem...

Paid attention on my way home from lunch and the same thing happened.. Coolant was on top of the resevoir of the radiator and dripping down under the front of the truck.

Left it parked and kept an eye on the coolant level. It steadily leaked out to below visible level. I have no idea how much is in the radiator and what the problem is.

It was leaking under no pressure and all my hoses are in decent enough shape.
The water pump and the front of the motor aren't the source of the leak either I believe.

We did get a good cold snap but I usually keep the antifreeze mix at well below the temps for south central Okie winters.

Wondering if I should replace the old copper/brass radiator with a new model that possibly fits links follow here:

Murray® Heat Transfer 433480 - Radiator | O'Reilly Auto Parts

Or

Spectra Premium/Radiator (C480) | 1976 Ford F150 1/2 ton P/U 4WD 8 Cylinders J 7.5L 4BL OHV | AutoZone.com

I don't know if either of these will work or if there is a cheaper aluminum that will bolt up for now...kinda strapped for cash...

This truck is a necessary daily driver and needed badly so downtime is a huge bummer.

Just a side note... I couldn't get ahold any radiator repair shops around local to see if the radiator could be cleaned/brazed.

Any helpful tips or pointers would be great.

If I need to include anymore info just let me know.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long posting!

 

I just bought a radiator from Advanced auto parts online.Total with lifetime warranty was !00 bucks.

Go to this website and click on the Advanced auto parts discounts.http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG7...tailmenot.com/ I was able to use one of the codes and given fifty dollars off of the original 150 dollar asking price.

There may be other offers from other parts stores, you will just have to search for them on the site.

Just to clarify, I paid for it online and picked it up at the store 30 minutes later. They had it in stock.

 

Thanks First reply! I checked out that coupon site. We don't have an Advance here but I think they had a decent coupon for Autozone as well.

Great way to save some cash!

 

* thanks First for the reply lol

 

The manager at Advanced directed me to the coupon site. It has some pretty good deals on just about all companies. Thing I like best was that I did not have to sign up for anything.

Good luck fixing your truck.

 

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You've noted some observations but have you actually verified it is the radiator leaking and needs to be replaced?

Here's a trick... get a bicycle inner tube and slice through it. Connect each open end to the inlet and outlet of the radiator, clamp securely, and pressurize it. Spray soapy water all over the radiator to pinpoint the leak.

 

Look up champion radiators. All aluminum and work great! And not to pricy.

 

Sounds like your top tank seam on the radiator is leaking. If the radiator looks to be in good shape otherwise (not rotten or corroded) pull it out, take it to a radiator shop and have them rebuild it. I'd do that over a new aftermarket radiator.


^^^
Works at a radiator shop that sells new aftermarket and does repairs

 

A seam sounds like a good guess... it could also be a pinhole in the top tank. Just have to figure out where it is coming from. I have successfully repaired pinholes with JB. Sand the paint off around the hole, clean with fresh water, clean with solvent and apply JB. If done while the radiator is still warm from running it goes fast.

This lasted 5 or so months on my dent until I got a new radiator.

 

Strange thing happened today. I needed to drive the truck so I put some coolant in the radiator. It took about 3/4 gallons to fill it up. I let the truck run with the radiator cap off and noticed no leaking. I then let the moose warm up and kept an eye on the coolant level and looked for leaks. Went and ran my errand and noticed no leaks when parked after about 15 minutes of stop and go in town driving. Drove it back home and when I came home from work this evening the level was still the same and no leaks were visible...

Weird...

I am going to continue to watch the level in the tank and drive only if I have to.

We don't have a radiator shop close by but when I am close to one i am definitely going to see about them fixing the pinhole leaks.

Has anyone else had something like this happen?